REGIONAL: MOH awaiting WHO approval before distributing vaccines from Barbados

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram said the vaccines arrived in the country late last week and have since been placed into storage at the C40 Central Stores at the required temperatures.

“That is being housed there for now until WHO has given approval for use and then, of course, we can use it thereafter,” he said.
Once it is given the go-ahead, the CMO said these doses of the vaccine would go to those healthcare workers directly involved with the COVID-19 fight.

“If we have these 2,000 they would be used for the very high-risk healthcare workers in the first instance. For example, those persons who are at Couva (and) Caura who are actually interacting with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis- (also) those at Arima, those at Augustus Long and persons who supervise quarantined individuals as well,” Parasram said.

Barbados received 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India, sharing some with Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and other Eastern Caribbean territories. T&T is expected to receive a first batch of close to 120,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in a few weeks from the COVAX facility.